New Zealand’s gems
by Pinky Khanna 
Planning a trip around New Zealand?
The following 10 places are highly recommended by www.no1guide.co.nz and the people of New Zealand.
The attractions include breath-taking scenery, pristine atmosphere, extraordinary landscapes and a variety of climatic conditions.
1. Fiordland National Park
New Zealand is famous for its national parks and there are many to choose from. The Fiordland National Park is one of them.
A nominated World Heritage area on the south west corner of the South Island of New Zealand, it is the world’s largest National Park. The amazing scenery includes steep mountains, waterfalls and exotic rainforests.
Within the Fiordland National Park you will also experience New Zealand’s most beautiful and famous sights for landscape photography - Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound which attract thousands of tourists every day.
Other attractions in this region include the Routeburn and Milford tracks - two of New Zealand’s Great Walks which pass through 32 kilometres of Fiordland National Park and the 580 meter high Sutherland Falls - a must see on the Milford Track.
2. Abel Tasman National Park
Abel Tasman National Park is New Zealand’s smallest national park. However, unlike Fiordland it has a sunnier climate and the top coastal scenery in New Zealand through out the year.
Famous for its white, sandy beaches and crystal clear waters of the Tasman Sea, the park is also roofed in exotic Rainforest and Manuka Tea Tree - a bushy shrub just over 12ft high.
The Abel Tasman walk is a good choice to view the entire park and takes 3-5 days. For those more adventourous people, Kayaking is another option to see the place as you will have access to view all the beaches.
Sea Taxis are on hand to drop you off at any number of beaches within the park.
3. Queenstown
Queenstown is my third choice and has everything from bungy jumping and sky-diving to great sceneries and fine dining. Infact Queenstown is New Zealand’s most popular destination and is regarded as the country’s adventure capital.
4. Rotorua
Another top destination in New Zealand, famous for its volcanic activity including geysers, steaming hot pools, mud pools and lakes is Rotorua. This is the spiritual home to the Maori and the Heartland of their culture.
They say that from the moment you enter Rotorua, you know you are in some place like heaven.
5. Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is a “must see” if you are visiting New Zealand. It is one of the world-reknown places that have 144 islands, with many superb beaches and secluded bays and an abundance of marine life.
6. Mount Cook
Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand and a popular tourist destination.
Mt Cook National Park is located in the Canterbury region and its neighbouring area is an alpine park that is part of the South Westland World Heritage area. It has the world’s longest ski run, down the Tasman and Hooker glaciers.
The park does not have a lot of trees or plants but is best portrayed as a snow-covered rocky landscape.
The Ball Pass here is a challenging 3-day alpine crossing of the Mount Cook Range that offers close views of some of New Zealand’s highest mountains.
7. Westland National Park
This national park is located in the south of New Zealand’s West Coast and is famous for its Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers.
These glaciers are one of the kind and the weather here is much warmer compared to other glacial sites in the world.
The park is also covered in an abundant rainforest and is backed by steep cliffs and mountains. The coastline is simply a drive away and there are some fantastic views of the glaciers which reflect in a few of the lakes in the area.
Westland National Park also has many activities which you can be involved in, like a walk up one of the glaciers or a helicopter ride up to the top of the Southern Alps and back.
8. Tongariro National Park
The Tongariro National Park is situated in the Taupo region and is one of the oldest National Parks in the world.
The park contains three amazing volcanoes - Mt Ruapehu, Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe.
The area gets regular snowfalls in winter and remains snow-covered through summer as it is positioned at great height above sea level.
Mt Ruapehu is the largest volcano and home to most of the ski-fields in the North Island. The downside, however, is that this volcano erupts regularly, so a check on its activity is recommended before visiting.
9. Coromandel
The Coromandel Peninsula is one of New Zealand’s most unique and popular destinations with the beautiful white sandy beach called Hot water beach, surrounded by native pohutukawa trees where you can dig your very own hot pool.
The forests in this region have the tallest fern trees in the world, some reaching heights of 20 metres or more.
The great quantity of fern species in the Coromandel gives the area a subtropical look and feel.
There is also an opprtunity to take a ride in a Glass Bottom boat and experience the underwater life of the area or take a chance at snorkelling.
10. Kaikoura
Last but not least is the must-see destination of Kaikoura - situated between Christchurch and Picton on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island.
Kaikoura overlooks majestic snow-capped mountains and offers various marine adventures like Whale watching, dolphin and seal swimming all year round.
Nature as it is…
We may be small in size, but New Zealand has a lot to offer in the way of tourism. We may be the youngest of all countries in the world, but have a lot of cultural heritage and lanscapes that are so well-preserved that they seem like they were here 700-years-ago… untouched by human beings.